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A one-hit wonder is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music performers with only one hit single that overshadows their other work. Some artists dubbed "one-hit wonders" in a ...
- Brett Milano
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- Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five: The Message (1982) Grandmaster Flash and his cohorts made a few groundbreaking 12-inches, but this was the only one to enter the US Hot 100 (it made it to No. 65).
- The Normal: Warm Leatherette/T.V.O.D. (1979) It’s perhaps the weirdest and most memorable synth-pop hit ever, and the only release by The Normal, the musical project by Mute Records owner Daniel Miller.
- Frankie Ford: Sea Cruise (1959) It boggles the mind that the singer of this New Orleans R&B classic had only one hit. Blame the label which buried a perfect follow-up, “Roberta,” on the B-side.
- Bram Tchaikovsky: Girl of My Dreams (1979) Despite three terrific albums, the ex-Motors singer/guitarist managed only one hit with this tune, admittedly the greatest song on any of the three.
- Corey Irwin
- The Buggles, "Video Killed the Radio Star" English new wave group the Buggles was active for only five years, from 1977 to 1982. Made up of singer and bassist Trevor Horn and keyboardist Geoff Downes, the duo experimented with rapidly changing studio technology.
- A-ha, "Take On Me" Oddly enough, when a-ha released "Take On Me" as a single in the U.K. in 1984, it flopped, reaching only No. 137. (For what it's worth, it did make it to No. 3 in the band's home country of Norway.)
- Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Relax" Decades after its 1983 release, kids in their teens and 20s are still buying T-shirts that read "Frankie Say Relax."
- Soft Cell, "Tainted Love" British soul singer Gloria Jones originally released “Tainted Love” in 1965. The song wasn't a hit and was largely forgotten until Soft Cell got their hands on it.
A one-hit wonder is a musical artist who is successful with one hit song, but without a comparable subsequent hit. The term may also be applied to an artist who is remembered for only one hit despite other successes (such as "Take On Me" by a-ha in the United States, which topped a Rolling Stone magazine poll to find the top one-hit wonder).
Jul 24, 2023 · A primary focus is just how good, catchy and worthwhile each entry is. By enacting that balance, we’ve created a comprehensive list that paints a pretty wide-ranging portrait of the last 60 ...
Sep 20, 2020 · 1. "Tequila" — The Champs (1958) Challenge. This catchy single only has three words—and they're all "tequila." Sure, the lyrics aren't particularly novel, but the song still brought The Champs massive success in the late '50s. After all, "Tequila" is easy to learn and impossible to forget.
May 4, 2011 · Rolling Stone Readers Pick the Top 10 One-Hit Wonders of All Time. They just had one hit, but they made it count. By Andy Greene. May 4, 2011. David Redfern/Redferns/Getty. Last week we asked...
